It's still a buyer's market in the Toledo region. New figures show the average price paid for a home in the multi-county Toledo region slipped by 2 percent in February. The number of homes sold slid by 10 percent compared to February last year. The average price for a home was $86,000. The exception to the trend is in Lucas County. The average price paid in Lucas County has climbed by 16 percent so far in 2010.
A very successful fundraising effort for the YMCA of Greater Toledo. The YMCA wanted to raise two million dollars. In the end, it brought in $2.1 million! The YMCA held a victory celebration Wednesday night at the Pinnacle in Maumee. About 900 volunteers throughout the area worked to raise the money. Every penny goes right back into the community. Some of the money will help teach 3,500 kids water safety and basic swimming skills.
St. Patrick's Day is coming up and Lucas County authorities want to remind drivers to be safe. The Lucas County Traffic Safety Program and Lucas County OVI Task Force are holding a news conference at 10:00 a.m. at Mulvaney's Bunker Irish Pub on Dorr Street. They say the purpose of the news conference is not to tell people don't drink but rather don't drive if you've been drinking.
If you can beat the rain through the end of the weekend the Toledo Zoo is offering half-off admission. All you have to do is download the coupon from the zoo's website. March 15th through the 31st the zoo says you can get 25 percent off if you print off the coupon.
It looks like Owens Corning workers will not strike. The company and union reached a temporary contract agreement to avoid a walk-out. The union's old contract was up about a week ago and a contract extension expires at midnight. The union represents about 560 members at the Owens Corning plant.
A city councilman is trying to save the former United Way headquarters in downtown Toledo. Councilman Joe McNamara has introduced a resolution urging United Way trustees to find alternatives to demolishing the building. Today City Council's Neighborhood Committee is holding a hearing on the issue at 10:00 a.m. in council chambers. Later today, McNamara will talk to a group of concerned citizens wanting to preserve the community services building at 5:30 p.m.
Perrysburg schools could lay off dozens of employees. This is a story we're following with the Toledo Blade. Perrysburg schools has notified 52 staff members that they may not have their jobs next year. The district must trim its budget by three million dollars because of falling revenues.
Kroger wants to expand its fuel rewards program into Shell gas stations. But a Texas-based company is now suing the grocery store on claims Kroger is illegally using a patented program. Kroger claims it came up with its fuel rewards program by itself and is now asking a federal judge to settle the dispute. If the judge goes against Kroger, it will not be able to expand its rewards program.
Here's an update to a Rossford factory fire that happened Wednesday morning. The fire at Electro Prime has been ruled undetermined. Fire officials, however, say several employees came forward, saying that several workers in the area were smoking just before the fire started. The fire chief says sprinklers activated inside the warehouse helped save the complex. No injuries were reported.
The government's bailout of auto finance giant GMAC could cost taxpayers more than six billion dollars. A new watchdog report, set to be released today, says the $17.2 billion bailout was a necessary step to save troubled automakers General Motors and Chrysler. GMAC provides financing to auto dealers who borrow to finance their fleets until the cars can be sold to consumers.
Kansas City schools are in a world of financial trouble. Half of the public schools there are closing because of financial problems. The school board narrowly approved the plan Wednesday night despite pleas from parents and community leaders. Some 29 schools will shut down before next school year. Teachers at the worst-performing schools will have to reapply for their jobs.
Tornadoes ripped through Arkansas, injuring four people and destroying a handful of homes. The Department of Emergency Management says three people were seriously injured in the northern part of the state. The storms, which forecasters had been warning about since the weekend, missed most populated areas.
A bill that extends unemployment benefits to America's jobless has cleared an important hurdle. The Senate passed legislation to give months of continued jobless checks to people who have been out of work for more than six months and help unemployed people pay for health insurance. The measure will now go to the House.
Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm's office says she's met with Google officials in California to encourage them to test a new ultra-high-speed fiber optic network in Michigan. Google is looking for sites for experimental networks that would deliver data much faster than most current residential Internet connections.
